How to Compress Videos for YouTube [Easy & Fast]

The process of making and posting a video to YouTube is time- and resource-consuming. When posting to YouTube from any computer connected to your network, you risk using up valuable bandwidth. A video can be uploaded more quickly and with little quality loss by being compressed for YouTube. In this article, you will learn how to compress videos for YouTube.

One of the most popular and rapidly expanding video-sharing platforms where you may upload and publish videos online is YouTube. Any available videos can also be seen, shared, added to a playlist, reported, and given feedback. Additionally, it enables you to submit a wide range of videos, including trailers for movies, music videos, TV series, documentaries, TV snippets, instructive videos, video recordings, blog videos, and many more. However, you can only submit videos with a certain maximum file size to YouTube. The fantastic news is that we already know how to compress videos for YouTube and would like to share that knowledge with you.

The major objective of compressing YouTube videos is to make it easier for you to upload your favorite videos there. It makes it possible for the video to stream without interruption or buffering. Select a video compressor to compress videos for YouTube that produces high-quality results regardless of the file size.

The Most Suitable Size for Videos Uploaded to YouTube

A normal video should be 1080p or 1280 x 720 in size for YouTube. The professional look is yours with a 1080p resolution. No one, however, wants to run out of data. A video at 1080p can be uploaded to YouTube with less bandwidth usage. Consider 720P if you're still playing with the YouTube channel and want to make the most of your device's capacity. 720p will still provide your viewers with the High-Definition experience they need even if they are viewing YouTube videos on huge devices like LCD TVs. You should always stick to the truth and post YouTube videos that are "as close to the original, high-quality source format as feasible," no matter what you do".

4 Ways to Compress Videos for YouTube

So, you just produced a fantastic video. You intend to YouTube-upload it. You upload it to YouTube and observe that it takes longer. Annoying no! Let's face it: compressed videos for YouTube to use less bandwidth, upload more quickly, and cause less buffering for your viewers. But how can a video clip be compressed without losing quality?

We'll go over the top 4 methods to compress videos for YouTube and when to employ them in the sections that follow. Let's get going.

Method 1. Compress Videos for YouTube for Free with VLC

Converting video to lower-size formats like FLV, WMV, etc. is a sensible idea because some formats, like MKV and AVI, take up too much space. You'll be glad to know that VLC enables you to convert video/audio files without the need to install any additional software and lets you somewhat shrink the video size. The step-by-step tutorial on how VLC compresses videos for YouTube is provided below.

Step 1. Download VLC Media Player if you do not already have it. Once downloaded, install, and open the "VLC Media Player".

Step 2. Click "Media > Convert/Save".

Step 3. Click "Add" to select your video file (or multiple files).

Step 4. Click "Convert/Save" to bring up a list of conversion options. You can select your preferred type in the profile dropdown

Step 5. Select your "conversion option" (the software offers useful suggestions such as YouTube HD or Video for MPEG4 1080p TV/device) 

Step 6. Once you're satisfied with your selections, simply hit "Save", select your "destination location" (on your hard drive or cloud storage), and then click "Start".

Method 2. Reduce the Size of a Video for YouTube with HandBrake

A tool for transcoding videos into any popular video format is the first item on our list. HandBrake is the name of it. The extensive features of the software allow you to transcode a video. Additionally, this software is usable with both Windows and Mac computers. Its supported source types are Blu-ray, DVD image, genuine DVD, VOB, and TS files. Your YouTube videos can be compressed and converted, and then saved as MP4, MKV, MPEG4, AVC, and HEVC. You can save an audio file as an MP3 if you convert it. By following the instructions mentioned below, you may use this tool to convert and compress videos for YouTube for free.

Step 1. Visit HandBrake on your browser and "download" the application.

Step 2. Launch the program and then click the "File" icon or just drag and drop the video to upload.

Step 3. Once uploaded, proceed to click the "Presets" > "Web" > and set the presets for your video.

Step 4. Finally, save your video by typing the new file name in the "Save As" title box.

Method 3. Make a Video Smaller with Movavi Video Converter

It is an easy-to-use tool, and compression happens swiftly. To start the required activity, drag and drop the selected movie onto the timeline, then edit the compressing parameters and click the Compress button. This software allows you to flawlessly compress various files, including 4K, and may be downloaded without any hassles. It can be used to compress videos for YouTube.

Step 1. Download and install Movavi Video Converter

Step 2. Click the "Add Media button > select Add Video".

Step 3. This will open a new window, here browse to the "location" where you have saved the video to be compressed > "Open".

Step 4. Once the video is added click the "down arrow" next to the Compress file. Set preferred output size.

Step 5. Once you are alright with the changes and are ready to compress the video without compromising the quality select the location where you want to see reduced video > hit "Convert".

Method 4. Compress Video for YouTube Online with Clideo

Using this online program, which enables processing of all major formats including MP4, MKV, MOV, and others, compressing YouTube videos is safe and rapid. Dropbox, Google Drive, and the device can all be used to add files. The optimal settings are automatically used during compression. The interface will display both the original and compressed file sizes in addition to the file's compression percentage.

Step 1. Launch Clideo and click on "Choose file" button to add a video.

Step 2. The tool will "upload" and "start" compressing the video automatically. 

Step 3. After the process is complete you can "save" the video to the local device or "download" it to Google Drive or Dropbox. 

How to Upload Compressed Videos to YouTube

It's hard to think that there weren't any well-known platforms for sharing videos with friends, family, and strangers online before YouTube launched in 2005. Of course, publishing a video online is quick and easy today. Here's how, for both desktop and mobile, to upload your own YouTube videos.

Step 1. Log in to your "YouTube account".

Step 2. Click on the "video icon" at the top right-hand side of the window, which can be found next to your user icon, messages, apps, and notifications.

Step 3. Click "Upload a Video."

Step 4. Then, press "Select files" to find the video file saved on your computer. Or you can drag and drop it into the window.

Step 5. Now publish your video. You can also choose to post on a "scheduled date".

The Conclusion

Therefore, when you want to compress videos for YouTube, go for high-quality compressor tools, as discussed above. HandBrake is the perfect tool, which satisfies all your expectations on a single platform. Depending on your requirements, you can analyze the applications and select the right one. During your analysis, note its compatibility and file format support to avoid issues in the future. Choose the tool wisely to obtain quality results when you work with complicated videos for YouTube. Most professionals go for HandBrake or Movavi Video converter for its consistent performance and fabulous functionalities.

FAQ

So we hope you have a clear and full understanding after reading this article. To help you better and further understand, we offter you some frequentily asked questions below:

1. Should You Compress Your Videos for YouTube?

According to Google, "If your video is larger than 128GB, try compressing your video in a video editor before uploading it to YouTube. This will reduce your video file size while still keeping the video quality high. One common way to compress a video for YouTube is to encode it using the H.264 codec."

2. How to Compress a 4K Video for YouTube?

Likewise, VideoSmaller is a web-based video compressor to reduce video file size for free. It supports a variety of different video file formats including MP4, AVI, MPEG, and MOV formats, and allows you to upload video files of up to 500 MB. Thus, it meets your needs to convert video footage to YouTube-supported formats for uploading. You have two options to compress video: use a low compression level or scale video width. You can choose the one that fits you best.

3. Can You Upload Compressed Video to YouTube?

Yes, you can upload compressed videos to YouTube, the benefit of these compressed videos is smaller file sizes mean faster upload times, less bandwidth consumption, and lower storage costs. Compressed videos also play more smoothly, with less buffering and fewer interruptions.